Book Review: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

I’m gonna start things off on why I bought this book: The title made me. I’ve been reading John Green’s books with the book before this being Looking For Alaska. And I figured I need a new book with a not-so-different genre. And this book caught my eye.

It has nothing to do with me breaking up with someone nor I fear my special someone’s going to break up with me. I simply wanted a new book in all honesty. I mean, I haven’t had a girlfriend since time immemorial so I guess I simply want to read a book about breaking up.

I’m gong to keep this review short.

I’ll come out and say it first: I never liked reading this book. I really didn’t. I wanted to drop it after the first 30 or so pages but the book-loving optimist inside me told me to just keep going and perhaps it will get better. But it didn’t.

It was horribly slow-paced even for a guy like me who is used to slow–pacedbooks. I just felt like this book didn’t want me to read it. I don’t know, perhaps I’m not the audience or maybe I need to actually experience a break-up to enjoy or at least appreciate this book. The book picked up its pace at around page 220+ or something and this book is like only about 350 pages long. The pictures helped, though. It helped spare me from reading more from this book.

I even disliked the way the author narrated it. I also didn’t like the sentences that sometimes didn’t make sense or was improperly structured. I also hated the fact that sometimes you forget who was talking to whom and even sometimes makes you forget who said the lines you’re reading. I experienced this so much in fact that I kept on rereading certain paragraphs or doing a double-take on certain sentences just to comprehend just who was talking and what the flying fuck was their issue.

I’m even amazed how other people seem to rate it almost perfect. I can only hope that the movie is better because seriously, the book didn’t fair too well with me.

Overall: 3/10

Keep in mind that I may not be the audience and that’s the only good thing I can say about this book. And oh, the pictures. This book gets 2 points for pictures.

By the way, best quote I saw in the book:

“Is it OK not to be a virgin, yes. Most people aren’t virgins, Min. That’s why there’s people to begin with.”